Happy Xicolatada

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz

I stumbled across the existence of Xicolatada a few months ago, and ever since, my feeling has been “this is so my favorite holiday.” Let’s face it, there is no down side to a holiday centered around getting drunk one night and then nursing your hangover with hot chocolate the following morning. Oh, I know there are chocolate bunnies for Easter and chocolate coins for Christmas and I’m sure there’s lots of other holiday chocolate I’m forgetting, but that is incidental chocolate worship. Vats of hot chocolate (okay, so they call them cauldrons but it’s a vat) brew hundreds of liters of hot chocolate over wood fires for Xicolatada. Enough of that goes on and just imagine what the air must smell like in Palau-de-Cerdagne. All wood smoke and bubbling chocolate. Nothing could sound more delightful. Deliciously, decadently delightful. Brewers have even formed little elite groups where they call themselves “mestres xicolaters.” Exactly where does one apply to become a Master of Chocolate? Let’s face it, that’s a job that cannot have a downside. Okay maybe having people harass you for the secret chocolate recipes would get old, but as bad job side effects go, I could live with that.

“No, sorry, I can’t give you the secret chocolate, that’s for Masters only.”

Good gravy, just imagine the power! Seriously, I could handle it…although…hmmm. There might be a moment or two where I would consider chocolate hostage situations to get my way. Okay, maybe I’m not intended to wield chocolate power alone. Great power, great responsibility and all that. Really, I’d be content just to sit on the counsel of the chocolate ruling class (oh, please let there be an elite chocolate ruling class). Everything chocolate would go through us. Ganche guildmasters. Hot chocolate harems…muuuaaahhhhhahaaaaahhhaaaa!

Okay, I might be getting off the topic, but a hot chocolate holiday demands far more attention than it’s currently getting. Really, people, just imagine what a better world this could be… a chocolate world filled with happy towns all scented with wood smoke and bubbling chocolatey goodness.